


Pandora Escape

by gilbert_theloli_nightray



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: AU, Time Change, Time Travel, kind of weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-23 19:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21086246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilbert_theloli_nightray/pseuds/gilbert_theloli_nightray
Summary: Gilbert reflects through his journey to save Oz. Is it doing it right? And what happens when Oz returns? And when he leaves? Is there anything he can do to have a happy ending?





	1. All That You Touch, You Change

**Author's Note:**

> I've been replaying the Cube Escape games. This one is based off Cube Escape: Seasons. The first three chapters will be short.

Gilbert sat at the top of stairs that led down to the gate. He didn't want to go back down and face Raven just yet. He was reaching and reaching yet he could never get closer.

Vincent lightly set a hand on Gilbert’s shoulder. “That scowl is going to freeze on your face, nii-san. We wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Gilbert gently removed the hand. He didn't need comfort right now. He needed more pieces to finish this. Raven wasn’t the only thing he was missing.

Vincent sat beside him and smiled. “Is something wrong?” He tilted his head slightly to the side acting like he didn't have an idea of what Gilbert would say.

He stared ahead with a blank look. “I’m taking too long.”

“You’ve only been here two years.”

Two years. So maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Or impatient at the very least. He didn't need to have everything figured out and planned right now. He was okay for now. He could tell himself that as much as he wanted but he would never believe it.

“You’re scowling again. Come with me. I’m sure there’s someway I can help you.” Vincent stood and held his hand out in an attempt to make him move anywhere other than here.

“I’m not sure if you can help me with this.” He was sure Vince thought he was crazy. Along with most of the Nightray family. Maybe not Elliot. He was too young to realize what true insanity was. “I’m sure I have to do this on my own.”

“You may miss a few things when you’re doing this on your own. You know you can’t go back and change something you do wrong.” He shook his hand in Gilbert’s face.

Gilbert ignored the cryptic comment and kept staring forward. He gave up on his thoughts and grabbed Vincent’s hand. He made a noise as he was forcibly pulled up from the ground and nearly dragged away.


	2. There Will Be Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been five years and haunting memories start to appear.

Gilbert stared at the ceiling. It had been five years. Why were visions appearing now? He hadn’t been able to see what was happening. He heard screaming and what he learned to be the noise of chains. All he could do was imagine what happened. It wasn’t as if he didn't have nightmares before, but this was different. He closed his eyes and he saw nothing but blood. Death would appear wherever he looked. He didn't want to deal with it, but he had to. He really was going insane.

Break ran a hand through Gilbert’s hair. “More tired than normal I see. Did something go wrong?”

He weakly smacked the hand out of his hair. He was never in the mood for Break bothering him, but now he didn't have the energy to put up with it. He didn't even have the energy to properly react to him sneaking into his room. “I don’t want to deal with you right now.”

“What seems to be the problem? Did you miss something? Drop a piece of the puzzle? Forget to grab a match? See something you didn't like?”

Gilbert quickly stood and turned to face him. “You have no idea what is going on. You wouldn’t understand it. If you could understand it, you would only laugh.”

“Now, now. Don’t get worked up over something so small. You need to keep your energy so you can get your work done. Need I remind you of what you’re trying to do?”

What he’s failing to do. “No. There’s no reason for that.” He walked over to a dead plant.

Break watched him go around. He seemed stranger than normal. His movements had become more predictable yet more erratic at the same time. “What are thinking? What’s going on in that twisted head of yours?” He walked up and ran a finger through his hair.

“I should have watered the plant. I let it die.” He pulled off one of the dried petals. “I’m not very good at keeping things alive.”

“We can’t do anything about this…” He smacked Gilbert’s hand away from the flower, getting annoyed with his sentimental depressed mood. “You need to focus on what you will do rather than what you should have done. Weren’t you worried about going too slow?”

Too slow. Too fast. Nothing was the right pace. He’d go too slow and Oz would die before he’d arrive. He’d go too fast and skip something important. Everything was going wrong. "I was."


	3. I'm Afraid I'll Do Something Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz is back. But is that enough?

Gilbert couldn’t lie. He wasn’t as happy as he should have been. Oz being back was great, but it wasn’t what he imagined. Alice arriving made things horrible. Not only was she getting between he and Oz, she was also killing Oz. He wanted to kill her. It would make things easier. Oz would be safe and things could be as normal as possible. They could go back to life before this. But he wasn’t allowed to do this.

“Come on, Raven. Alice and I won’t go until you leave with us.”

“I’ll leave on my own if seaweed head doesn’t get moving! I don’t care if he comes as long as I get my meat.”

“I’m coming. You can’t leave without me because I have the money. The last thing I need is for you to get arrested for shoplifting.” He sighed in annoyance as they walked out. He was smiling a lot less than he imagined.

He aimed his gun at Oz. He was pointing it at the damn rabbit. He so easily shot that memory. It was never that hard to pull the trigger on other people. Strangers. It was wrong but never that wrong to him. Now it was worse. It was too easy to pull the trigger. Too easy to shoot. Too easy to kill. How could Oz want to be around him when he was like this?

“Gil, are you okay?”

He almost dropped the cigarette as he snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes. I was only lost in thought. I’m sorry. Did you need something?”

“I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. After what you had to do today, I didn't know if you were feeling well.”

“I’m fine, Oz. I’m used to it.” Used to it. Those were haunting words. “It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

Gilbert laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Why was he becoming so violent? He was so ready to shoot his friends. Or colleagues. Whatever you could call them. It doesn’t matter. They were in danger of him. What if something happened? What if there was no one around to stop him one day? What if he never realized what he was doing was wrong?

Oz suddenly jumped on the bed next to Gilbert. “You know you shouldn’t hide inside for such a long time. Going out for a walk in the sun will make you happier than being sad inside.”

Gilbert sat up and smiled at Oz. “You’re right. We can go for a walk.”

“I know how to make you happier. We won’t bring Alice with us.”

An amused but small laugh escaped Gilbert. “Yes. That makes me much happier. Let’s get going.” He decided to leave his gun behind as he left. If he was doubting his insanity before, he was sure of it now. He was 100% sure he was insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay. Slightly longer.


	4. The Past Is Never Dead

Did Gilbert look like he was doing well? Yes. Did Gilbert act like he was doing well? Of course. Was Gilbert doing well? About as well as a freezer in hell. Oz was gone. Break and Alice were gone. Half of the people he knew were gone. How could anyone be doing well? They didn't blame themselves for everything. That’s how they were doing so well. They had accepted the fate. They accepted the injuries and deaths. They accepted that it had to happen. They accepted that they weren’t the cause of the deaths.

Gilbert couldn’t. He could get over losing his arm. He could get over losing any other limb. He would be fine if he died. But not this. This was something that happened to others. Something he believed he could have prevented. He could talk to someone about this, but no one would understand. He would only receive the ‘we can talk about it’ answer. Talking was getting him nowhere. No one could convince him that he didn't cause these problems.

“Nii-san, where are you going?”

Gilbert snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Vincent. “I’m going to the garden. I need some air to clear my head.”

Vincent gently set a hand on Gilbert’s shoulder. “You need to talk to someone. It’s better than hiding from everyone.”

“I’m not hiding from everyone. I just think it’s best to be alone for now.” He tried to remove Vincent’s hand, but it suddenly tightened.

“Some of us think it’s best for you to sit and talk with someone. We don’t trust you won’t do something dangerous. You know you aren’t the only one who could get hurt by trying whatever you’re thinking.”

“Vince, I just need some time to myself. I won’t do anything dangerous. I don’t want to lose anyone else. I can’t risk you going anywhere.”

“That’s why I can’t risk you going outside alone. I’ll walk with you. We don’t need to say anything. I’ll stay quiet.” He gave him a smile that was almost threatening. “Don’t you think it would be best to have some company?”

Maybe he should have talked to Vincent earlier so he wouldn’t seem so suspicious. “That sounds nice. I would like that.”

Vincent’s smile never changed and his grip on Gilbert never loosened. If anyone knew what was going through his mind, it would be Vincent. “It’s not your fault. You know that.”

“I could have stopped it. It could have ended better. I should have tried harder.”

“Don’t talk like that. Nothing you could have done would have prevented what happened. You should forget about it.”

“I don’t need to hear this from you, Vince. You’re being such a hypocrite. How long did you spend trying to change the past?”

“This is why I’m talking to you. If anyone knows how you feel, it’s me. We did our best. There is nothing you can change. I’m not letting you risk your life.” He stopped them and stared into Gilbert’s eyes. “You know you feel the way I did. I’m not letting you destroy yourself.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It is the same! We’re both willing to risk our lives for someone we love. We both know it’s not right. Neither of us are completely happy but we have to accept what happened. Tell me what I can do to make you forget about this.”

“There’s nothing you can do, Vince. It’s going to take some time to pass. I promise I won’t do anything stupid.”

Vincent narrowed his eyes. “You’re lying to me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the only one getting hurt. I’m sorry, Vince.” He quickly pulled his arm away and ran off.

“Nii-san, you can’t do this!”


	5. It Is Not Even Past

Take your time. Take your time. You have to learn what you did wrong before you can fix anything. You have to learn what you forgot. And you can't let yourself get caught. Break and Vince will easily figure out what’s happening. They’ll try to stop you. That can’t happen.

“Nii-san, are you okay?” Vincent looked over him. Gilbert was acting stranger than normal. He was panicking more. “Did something happen?”

“I think I missed something. I have to fix it.”

“What could you have possibly missed in your room?” This wasn’t strange. This was suspicious.

Gilbert dug his nails into his desk. It felt almost disturbing to touch something with his left hand. He rubbed it to try getting used to having feeling in it again. “I could have missed anything. There’s too much for me to do.”

Vincent narrowed his eyes. “Tell me if you need my help.” He quickly looked around the room before leaving.

Great. He already screwed up. Vincent was suspicious and he hadn’t even been here for five minutes. Maybe he didn't have the opportunity to go slow. He had been here before. He wasn’t completely starting over. He needed to calm his heart. He wasn’t even going to be here that long. What did he regret? Killing that stupid plant. Along with not enough practice in… everything. He wrote multiple notes on what to do and what to practice when his normal self returns. He picked the notes up and put them in the trunk in his room. As far as he knew, no one else could open that lock or cared enough to try. Perhaps now was the time to prevent that senseless murder.

“Raven, you seem to be acting a bit different lately. You seem to be thinking more than you normally do.”

“I’m afraid I missed something. I don’t have time to deal with you right now.” Although it was nice to see him alive. No. Now was not the time to be sad and let his emotions takeover.

Break quietly walked up and grabbed his shoulders from behind. “Are you doing something that I should know? Are you breaking rules without telling me? I would love to hear about that.”

“I’m not breaking any rules. I’m busy right now. I can’t have you distracting me.”

“You’re a horrible liar, Raven. Are you going to tell me what you’re doing?” He tried to look for anything that was failed to be hidden. “Or do I have to pry it out of you?”

“It’s nothing that affects you. You don’t need to know what I’m doing. Leave me alone so I don’t mess anything up. I only have one chance to do this.” He really didn't want to do this again. He was sure he wouldn’t be permitted to do this again.

“It must be pretty bad if you refuse to tell me. But remember this. I always find out what you’re hiding from me. It better not be anything dangerous.”

“Everything will be fine. It’s simply something you don’t need to know.”

“Don’t go throwing yourself into the abyss before you’re ready. And don’t let anything drag you in.” He used his sword to slice open Gilbert’s shirt. “Nothing. I’ll be watching you.”

He pulled his shirt closed as Break left. He waited before he also left the room.

Oz was okay. For now. But he was still okay. There was no reason to get emotional. There was no reason for him to nearly cry because Oz was back. He was almost being ridiculously nice to Alice. He had to act like his normal self.

“Seaweed head, are you listening to me?” Alice put her hands on her hips.

“No. I was trying my best to ignore you. What were you demanding of me this time?” He didn't want to be rude. He wanted to apologize.

“Make me dinner. You didn't give me enough to eat for lunch.”

“You just had lunch two hours ago, rabbit. You can wait two more hours for dinner. I have things to do.” He pushed her away slightly and left the room.

“Raven, I have a few questions for you.” Break walked up from behind and stood in front of Gilbert. “I think you’re still breaking rules. And you haven’t told me about it. I’m beginning to think you’ve done something wrong. What have you done?”

“I’ve done nothing. If I did something, you would have figured it out by now.”

Break opened his shirt again. “There’s still nothing. What else could you have done?”

He fixed his shirt. “What are you expecting me to do that’s so bad? I have Oz back. I don’t need to be as reckless as normal.”

“Even though you still need to get rid of Alice?”

“I have to think if I want to separate the two of them. I have to take time to find out what I need to do.”

“Separate them? You don’t just want to get rid of her? Your personality seems to have changed recently. Tell me something. Just how far back did you go?”

“I haven’t gone back. You’re thinking of the worst case scenario.” He tried to walk away.

“Raven, don’t you dare go anywhere. You need to explain what you did. What did you change or what are you trying to change?”

Gilbert knew he would get nothing but a lecture from Break for what he had done. He didn't want to hear that. He knew what he was doing was dangerous. He knew it was stupid. He knew it could be selfish. He didn't need it confirmed. “Get some help before you die.” He pushed Break to the side and walked away.

Oh no. Oh no. Everything was still going wrong. He tried everything he could. He planned so much. Elliot had still died. Leo was still losing his mind. His arm was still gone. Not that he really cared about that last part.

“What have I done? Nothing seems to be going right. I should have just gone back and killed Zai. This would be fine if I had just killed him. What have I become? I’m a monster. That’s what I’ve become.”

“It’s dangerous to go back again.”

“I know it is. I won’t do it again.”

“And what do you plan on doing? Surely you won’t give in and let this go to waste.”

“I won’t. I need someone to survive.”

“There is only so much of you to sacrifice. Don’t lose yourself trying to save everyone else.”

“I know. I won’t let myself slip away. It’s almost over. I can’t lose everything now.” He pushed himself up. It was getting close to do or die time. He needed to calm down for five minutes to do this correctly.

Everything had gone right. Had everything gone right? It seemed like there were survivors this time. But it wasn’t over. He saw a giant white light coming. Was it just for him? Was it going to hit everyone? Hopefully it was a good white light.

“Gil? Gil, you’re awake!”

Gilbert quickly sat up and grabbed his chest. Still missing one arm but not missing Oz. That’s fine. “Who else is alive?”

“There’s still-”

“No. Never mind. Don’t tell me. I want to be happy you’re still here. I don’t want to think for a long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was strange, but so are the games.


End file.
